A year after leaving for big money with Tampa Bay, defensive end Michael Johnson returned to the Cincinnati Bengals with a four-year deal.

The 6-foot-7, 270-pound Johnson, who spent his first five NFL seasons with the Bengals, played 79 games with 45 starts in Cincinnati from 2009-13.

The Buccaneers released Johnson last week, just one year after signing him to a five-year, $43.8 million contract.

Johnson’s deal with the Bengals is worth $20 million with $6 million due in 2015, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora reported Johnson was already due $7 million from the Bucs, with no offsets, and now will make about $14 million in 2015.

“I’m thankful for the Buccaneers giving me an opportunity to come down there and learn,” Johnson said Sunday on a conference call with reporters. “I’m going to always cherish all of the memories — the highs and the lows. You can’t appreciate the highs without the lows.

—Buffalo coach Rex Ryan likes his organization’s aggressive play during free agency and goes as far as saying the Bills are closing on the Super Bowl championship New England Patriots.

In the last week, the Bills traded for running back LeSean McCoy and quarterback Matt Cassel, and signed wide receiver Percy Harvin, fullback Jerome Felton and quarterback Tyrod Taylor. They also brought back, among others, defensive end Jerry Hughes.

On the other side, the Patriots haven’t made many big moves and have lost some key players.

“I feel pretty good about what we’ve added,” Ryan told Toronto’s SportsNet 590. “I think the conference really got stronger. If anything, it currently doesn’t look — if you can say winners and losers in free agency — obviously New England had to cut quite a few players.

The Patriots lost players from their championship team, including cornerback Darrelle Revis to the New York Jets. New England also did not pick up 2015 options on defensive tackle Vince Wilfork and cornerback Brandon Browner, making them free agents.

—New Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the highest-paid defender in NFL history, says he always wanted to remain with the Detroit Lions.

“There is no question that it’s a huge misconception that I didn’t want to be here,” Suh told the Detroit Free Press. “I’ve always wanted to be here, especially growing up (as a person) here, being drafted here and having such a huge warm welcome. I think anybody would be crazy not to want to be at a place that they’re superbly embraced.

“There’s tons of people in this community that I have gotten to know over time that to me, one, I’ve created mentors here, people from the business world that have just reached out and wanting to make sure that I’m doing the right things. So for me it was not an easy decision by any means.”

The Dolphins and Suh came to agreement last Sunday on a six-year deal that reportedly is worth $114 million and includes $60 million in guaranteed money. Suh arrived in Miami on Wednesday and signed the deal.

“For me, my goal was always to come back,” Suh told the Free Press. “I was never looking to want to leave and figure out a different situation. But at the end of the day, I have to do what’s best for myself and for my family because at the end of the day, those are people I have to look in the eyes each and every single day for the rest of my life and know I made the right decision for us as a whole and for my future and my future kids, my wife, that I’ll eventually hopefully have soon.”

—The Dallas Cowboys agreed to terms with former San Diego Chargers linebacker Andrew Gachkar, according to reports Sunday. The deal is reportedly for two years, worth up to $5.5 million.

Gachkar spent the previous four seasons with the Chargers. He was selected by San Diego in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Gachkar, 26, has totaled 120 tackles and two sacks, playing in 63 of 64 games, in the last four seasons. He started five contests in 2014, recording 49 tackles and one sack over 15 games.

—The Dallas Cowboys claimed cornerback Corey White after he was waived by the New Orleans Saints.

White is entering his fourth season in the NFL, racking up 125 tackles, 15 passes defensed and four interceptions, all with the Saints. The 24-year-old has played in 41 games over the last three seasons, including 19 starts at cornerback.

White joined the Saints as a fifth-round draft pick out of Samford in 2012. White, who was waived Friday, will make $1.542 million if he makes the Cowboys roster.

—The New England Patriots on Saturday re-signed defensive lineman Alan Branch to a two-year contract worth a maximum $6.6 million.

Branch was an unrestricted free agent who turned 30 in December. He was drafted in 2007 by the Arizona Cardinals and had played for Seattle and Buffalo before joining the Patriots.

He signed with New England midway through the 2014 season and played in eight regular-season games.